“I listed several recent incidents involving emergency landings and technical problems with Malaysia Airlines,” Wee said in a follow-up Facebook post today.
He added that he had appealed to the transport ministry to help Malaysia Airlines ensure such incidents do not recur in the future.
“Is it wrong for me to say this? What have I done wrong?” Wee said, and demanded to know if there was anything factually incorrect about his statement.
“Which part of my statement has accused Malaysia Airlines to the point of causing panic? In which line have I questioned the professionalism of our national carrier?”
“When considering the safety and lives of people, it is important to take responsibility and calm the situation. The ministry, as the aviation industry regulatory body, and Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), as the owner of Malaysia Airlines, need to take responsibility.
“Both must come forward to provide detailed explanation on each and every incident and at the same time, convince the public and passengers that action has been taken to restore confidence,” Wee said.
He added that passengers’ confidence and safety must be prioritised, calling for a paradigm shift to review the airline’s maintenance, repair and overhaul operations.
Last Friday, Wee called for Putrajaya to investigate the technical issues plaguing Malaysia Airlines, some of which had forced the national carrier to make emergency landings.
Wee noted that there had been at least eight incidents reported since 2023, which seemed to have sparked a serious loss of confidence among passengers in the airline.
In response, Loke yesterday said Wee was trying to “create panic”, adding that he had no doubts about Malaysia Airlines and MAG’s professionalism in dealing with the matter.
Last Saturday, MAG said it planned to reduce its flights and routes between now and December in response to recent disruptions in Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, and Amal’s services during the week beginning on Aug 19.
MAG group managing director Izham Ismail said this was to ensure the long-term reliability and operational robustness of MAG’s fleet.